第58章

An operation of this kind absorbs him who undertakes it as well as those who undergo it. A nobility for useful purposes is not transformed with impunity into a nobility for ornament；[37] one falls himself into the ostentation which is substituted for action. The king has a court which he is compelled to maintain. So much the worse if it absorbs all his time， his intellect， his soul， the most valuable portion of his active forces and the forces of the State. To be the master of a house is not an easy task， especially when five hundred persons are to be entertained； one must necessarily pass one's life in public and all the time being on exhibition. Strictly speaking it is the life of an actor who is on the stage the entire day. To support this load， and work besides， required the temperament of Louis XIV， the vigor of his body， the extraordinary firmness of his nerves， the strength of his digestion， and the regularity of his habits； his successors who come after him grow weary or stagger under the same load. But they cannot throw it off； an incessant， daily performance is inseparable from their position and it is imposed on them like a heavy， gilded， ceremonial coat. The king is expected to keep the entire aristocracy busy， consequently to make a display of himself， to pay back with his own person， at all hours， even the most private， even on getting out of bed， and even in his bed. In the morning， at the hour named by himself beforehand，[38] the head valet awakens him；five series of persons enter in turn to perform their duty， and， "although very large， there are days when the waiting-rooms can hardly contain the crowd of courtiers." - The first admittance is "l'entrée familière，" consisting of the children of France， the princes and princesses of the blood， and， besides these， the chief physician， the chief surgeon and other serviceable persons.[39] Next， comes the "grande entrée；' which comprises the grand-chamberlain， the grand-master and master of the wardrobe， the first gentlemen of the bedchamber， the Ducs d'Orleans and de Penthièvre， some other highly favored seigniors， the ladies of honor and in waiting of the queen， Mesdames and other princesses， without enumerating barbers tailors and various descriptions of valets. Meanwhile spirits of wine are poured on the king's hands from a service of plate， and he is then handed the basin of holy water； he crosses himself and repeats a prayer. Then he gets out of bed before all these people and puts on his slippers. The grand-chamberlain and the first gentleman hand him his dressing-gown；he puts this on and seats himself in the chair in which he is to put on his clothes. At this moment the door opens and a third group enters， which is the "entrée des brevets；" the seigniors who compose this enjoy， in addition， the precious privilege of assisting at the "petite coucher，" while， at the same moment there enters a detachment of attendants， consisting of the physicians and surgeons in ordinary， the intendants of the amusements， readers and others， and among the latter those who preside over physical requirements； the publicity of a royal life is so great that none of its functions can be exercised without witnesses. At the moment of the approach of the officers of the wardrobe to dress him the first gentleman， notified by an usher， advances to read to the king the names of the grandees who are waiting at the door： this is the fourth entry called "la chambre，" and larger than those preceding it； for， not to mention the cloak-bearers， gun-bearers， rug-bearers and other valets it comprises most of the superior officials， the grand-almoner， the almoners on duty， the chaplain， the master of the oratory， the captain and major of the body-guard， the colonel-general and major of the French guards， the colonel of the king's regiment， the captain of the Cent Suisses， the grand-huntsman， the grand wolf-huntsman， the grand-provost， the grand-master and master of ceremonies， the first butler， the grand-master of the pantry， the foreign ambassadors， the ministers and secretaries of state， the marshals of France and most of the seigniors and prelates of distinction. Ushers place the ranks in order and， if necessary， impose silence. Meanwhile the king washes his hands and begins his toilet. Two pages remove his slippers； the grand-master of the wardrobe draws off his night-shirt by the right arm， and the first valet of the wardrobe by the left arm， and both of them hand it to an officer of the wardrobe， whilst a valet of the wardrobe fetches the shirt wrapped up in white taffeta. Things have now reached the solemn point， the culmination of the ceremony； the fifth entry has been introduced， and， in a few moments， after the king has put his shirt on， all that is left of those who are known， with other house hold officers waiting in the gallery， complete the influx. There is quite a formality in regard to this shirt. The honor of handing it is reserved to the sons and grandsons of France； in default of these to the princes of the blood or those legitimized； in their default to the grand-chamberlain or to the first gentleman of the bedchamber ； - the latter case， it must be observed， being very rare， the princes being obliged to be present at the king's lever， as were the princesses at that of the queen.[40] At last the shirt is presented and a valet carries off the old one； the first valet of the wardrobe and the first valet-de-chambre hold the fresh one， each by a right and left arm respectively，[41] while two other valets， during this operation， extend his dressing-gown in front of him to serve as a screen. The shirt is now on his back and the toilet commences. A valet-de-chambre supports a mirror before the king while two others on the two sides light it up， if occasion requires， with flambeaux. Valets of the wardrobe fetch the rest of the attire； the grand-master of the wardrobe puts the vest on and the doublet， attaches the blue ribbon， and clasps his sword around him； then a valet assigned to the cravats brings several of these in a basket， while the master of the wardrobe arranges around the king's neck that which the king selects. After this a valet assigned to the handkerchiefs brings three of these on a silver salver， while the grand-master of the wardrobe offers the salver to the king， who chooses one. Finally the master of the wardrobe hands to the king his hat， his gloves and his cane. The king then steps to the side of the bed， kneels on a cushion and says his prayers， whilst an almoner in a low voice recites the orison Quoesumus， deus omnipotens. This done， the king announces the order of the day， and passes with the leading persons of his court into his cabinet， where he sometimes gives audience. Meanwhile the rest of the company await him in the gallery in order to accompany him to mass when he comes out.